Spike Lee Doesn't Care What You Think of His New Project, Because He Was Kickstarting Before Kickstarter

To critics of Spike Lee's new attempt to fund his next film through Kickstarter: Spike Lee has a message for you. In a new video posted on YouTube by Film Courage, Lee explains that he's actually been kickstarting his projects himself way before Kickstarter was ever a website, and describes how he used to call people himself to find funders for his projects. "We were doing Kickstarter before there was Kickstarter," Lee says in the clip. "We just didn't have the technology."

On the Kickstarter page for the film—which is described as the "newest, hottest Spike Lee joint" that's a "not Blacula" movie about humans addicted to blood—Lee explained that he needed the donations because "with the current climate in the Hollywood studio system it's not an encouraging look for independent filmmakers," and money would ensure the project actually seens the light of day.

Critics of Lee's venture are saying that he's "abusing" the system, but Lee explains that's simply not true. "I’m bringing people to Kickstarter who never even heard of Kickstarter. I’m talking [about] a lot of people of color who’ve never heard of Kickstarter, who’ve never made a pledge on Kickstarter," he says. "So I really think it’s a fallacy, it’s a misconception, and it’s just plain-out wrong, with a capital W."

You can check out the video above. For Lee's Kickstarter page, which has already raised $357,230 of its $1,250,000 goal, head on over here.